US Representative Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, wants to specifically bar US ground troops in Iraq and Syria by revising the 2001 authorization for use of military force, which Congress passed after the September 11 attacks.

SHAFAQNA– US lawmakers from the Democratic Party, worried about another war in the Middle East, are seeking to put tough limits on the Obama administration’s fight against ISIL terrorists in Iraq and Syria.

The Democrats don’t want to give US President Barack Obama the same freedom that Congress gave President George W. Bush in 2001 before he invaded and occupied Afghanistan and Iraq.

“First and foremost, we want to make sure this does not become Iraq War 2.0,” The Hill quoted Van Hollen, a member of the House Democratic leadership and a senior Democrat on the budget panel.

US Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia, is one of the leading Democrats who are pushing for congressional approval before any military strikes.

Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on Tuesday that Obama should not authorize combat operations if he doesn’t get approval from Congress.

The proposal to limit the president’s scope of action in Syria and Iraq has irritated senior Republicans in Congress.

“I don’t see how you beat ISIL anytime soon with just air power and the free Syrian army. How do you get them out and how do you hold the ground once you get them out?” said Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina.

The US military has been conducting airstrikes against the ISIL terrorist group in Iraq and more recently in Syria.

Analysts say the US invasion and occupation of Iraq led to the rise of insurgent groups that roam the country to this day and now US policymakers are pursuing the same policy in Syria.

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